The Further Adventures of Merry and Pippin
by Merfy
Summary: This is a series of connected vignettes that shed some light on the last years of Merry and Pippin. The vignettes cover their travels to Rohan and Gondor, and their interactions with the remaining members of the Company.
1. Riding to Rohan

Rating: G  
Summary: This is a series of connected vignettes that shed some light on the last years of Merry and Pippin. The vignettes cover their travels to Rohan and Gondor, and their interactions with the remaining members of the Company. In "Riding to Rohan," Merry recovers a little bit of his youth.  
Feedback: Constructive criticism is welcome. I attempt to keep as close to book canon as possible. Ideas on how to improve in this area are particularly welcome.  
Disclaimer: The places, situations and characters of _The Lord of the Rings_ belong to the Tolkien Estate. This work contains no original characters. No money is being made from this work.

**The Further Adventures of Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took:   
****"Riding to Rohan"**

Merry was preparing his mount when an unidentified rider came up to him. "King Eomer wishes that we make haste, Master Holdwine," he said. Merry merely nodded in reply. Though the Rider and his companion were already mounted and ready to go, Merry still had his stirrup in hand and was proceeding with great care. He knew he had to be cautious, for these Riders were watching him very carefully, and he did not want to embarrass himself by doing something silly and giving them a chance to intervene. Finally, he hoisted himself onto his pony, to murmurs of approval—and perhaps astonishment—but these he ignored.

_'I am not old and dotard,'_ he thought to himself, as he adjusted all the appropriate straps and fixed his cloak. _'Besides, something's so very different this time.'   
_  
"Master Holdwine?" The Riders were clearly in a hurry. Merry could see that Pippin was already prepared to ride and at the front of the column.   
  
"Yes, yes," he replied. "I'm coming."   
  
The entire company moved out. The Riders were ahead on their full-sized horses, but this allowed Merry and Pippin (he had, of course, retreated back to ride with Merry), who were both on their faithful ponies, to converse with each other freely. "Something's different, you know," said Pippin to Merry.

"I was just thinking as such before I mounted up, dear Pippin," replied Merry. As he spoke, Pippin examined Merry's face. Merry still looked quite haggard in Pippin's eyes, and secretly, Pippin was very glad that they were leaving the Shire, though the leaving had been hard, and would soon be in Rohan. Merry needed a change.  
  
"I think you and I have grown complacent," Pippin said, ostensibly to Merry, although he was staring ahead and looking at no one as he spoke. "The two of us, because we're 'lordly' and all, ride around everywhere so that we can look the part, even though we've not got a lot of control and end up being taken 'round like we are a pair of cabbages. It's not been good for either of us, I'm afraid. This feels different, because for the first time in too long, we ride with a purpose."   
  
Pippin turned to Merry to see if he agreed, but the sun was at such an angle that all he could see was an outline--but it was an outline he barely recognized. He saw one who sat up straight, had firm control of the bridle, was looking ahead, and seemed quite alert. A patch of trees temporarily blocked out the sun, and Pippin went from looking at this silhouette to suddenly staring at Merry's face. Pippin could barely conceal his surprise and joy, for he found himself looking into the eyes of Merry, Member of the Company and Esquire of Rohan, not the aging though venerable Meriadoc, Master of Brandy Hall. Pippin had not been happier to gaze upon Merry since they had reunited in Minas Tirith, in older days.   
  
Merry read and understood the look on his dear friend's face, and smiled at him. "Master Took," he said, "your assessment of things seems to be correct. We ride with Purpose, and as this Rider up ahead says, we ride with Haste. Onward, then!"

Suddenly Merry was off at a gallop. Pippin, as quickly as he could, urged his pony on and was soon at Merry's heels. The two of them darted right between the Riders, and passed them up. The Riders gave each other bemused looks, and moved their horses to a trot, so that they could keep pace with the hobbits.

Merry had not cast off all the effects of age though, and he soon found it necessary to bring his pony back to a walk. Pippin did likewise, and said to Merry, in between hard breaths, "Well, that was fun!"

"Yes," replied Merry, "it really was. I have to admit, that felt very, very good."

"You needed that," said Pippin.

"Did I then? And why do you think that's the case?"

"Well Merry, I've been worried about you for some time. All that time at the Hall, reading and dwelling on things, not getting out and about, I don't think it was good for you. You were concerned with dark things—evil things—it always seemed that you were looking for the bad in everything, and I think that aged you a bit." Pippin looked anxiously to his friend for a response; he had been frank with him.

"I do not understand why everyone is so concerned about my age," said Merry, and he laughed as he said this, so Pippin was relieved. "However, you are probably right about me."

They rode in silence for a few moments. Pippin could tell that Merry was being agreeable out of friendship, not because he actually agreed with what Pippin had said. As worry was setting in, Merry said, "Let's ride fast again, and try and leave the Riders behind!"

Off they went, once again, causing the Riders accompanying them to smile and laugh. Although Merry was enjoying his "race" with the Rohirrim, he had suggested the quick pace so that he would be unable to converse with Pippin and able to converse with himself.

_'I wish Gandalf was still around,'_ he thought_, 'for if anyone could answer me, he could. Maybe Pip is right. Perhaps I am being too vigilant when it comes to watching for evil. But still, evil in any degree can do such damage, and it seems that no one else really pays any attention to it until it is too big! Of course everyone was upright and at attention when Sauron threatened all the lands of Middle-Earth with enslavement! Yet, my own people allowed the seeds of evil to fester in the Shire, and from there it grew so large that it nearly destroyed them all. If someone had been vigilant, if someone had been wary and careful, I believe, and will always believe, that much of what was destroyed could have been spared! Still, Pip is right about one thing: evil will never completely leave the world, and I shouldn't ever hope to drive every evil thing away, for not even the Elves and Wizards had that power. But where is the line? If some evil must exist, how much can exist before worry should set in?'   
_  
Suddenly, he was jarred from this conversation with himself, because he was falling to the ground. His pony had stumbled, and since he had been going at great speed, and not fully concentrating, he had been thrown. The Riders, who were behind, pulled up right besides Merry and dismounted. Pippin, who had pulled ahead, had stopped his pony, and was walking back toward Merry.

Everyone was worried that the fall might have done some damage to the aging Meriadoc, but with true hobbit resiliency, he sat up quite quickly. He was covered in dirt, but there was a bit of a smile on his face. Merry felt peaceful—there was something a little nice about being covered with the soil of the good earth (although he was certain he would have no kind words for the earth when soreness set in, he was willing to be charitable at that moment). As he stood up, he realized that there was something even better about being able to dust the good earth off one's clothes.

"Are you hurt?" asked Pippin.   
  
Merry looked at him and said, "No, dear Pippin, I am fine. Perhaps I lost my balance, but at any rate, I believe that balance is mostly regained."****


	2. Beauty

Rating: G  
Summary: This is a series of connected vignettes that shed some light on the last years of Merry and Pippin. The vignettes cover their travels to Rohan and Gondor, and their interactions with the remaining members of the Company. In "Beauty," Pippin tries to tell Merry about Gildor.  
Feedback: Constructive criticism is welcome. I attempt to keep as close to book canon as possible. Ideas on how to improve in this area are particularly welcome.  
Disclaimer: The places, situations and characters of _The Lord of the Rings_ belong to the Tolkien Estate. This work contains no original characters. No money is being made from this work.

**The Further Adventures of Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took:   
"Beauty"**  
  
The journey from the Shire to Rohan covered many leagues, and obviously could not hope to be completed in anything close to a day. One evening, as the Riders set up camp (age had its benefits—Merry and Pippin were expected to do nothing), Pippin, for some unknown reason, began to tell Merry about the meeting with Gildor Inglorion. All that Merry really knew about the entire event was that Frodo, Sam and Pippin had encountered the elf of the House of Finrod on the journey from Bag End to Crickhollow.

As Pippin was talking, it occurred to Merry that in all the time from the meeting near Brandy Hall until the present moment, years and miles away, there had never been a moment for that tale, or many others, to be truly _told _with all four of them present—and it obviously would never happen. The years had seen them taken apart from each other many times, sick, hurt, in despair, attending to other responsibilities, and Frodo had been damaged beyond the ability of his world to repair him.

_'What a shame,'_ thought Merry to himself_.  'Truly, when did we last enjoy tales, hearth, ale, good food, and each other? Was the last time, when we were all whole, truly before the Quest?' _

Merry started to mediate on these matters, as he was wont to do, particularly in his advanced age.  Pippin, noticing that his friend was drifting away to his own thoughts, had to get quite loud in his tale-telling to regain Merry's interest.  
  
Merry snapped back to attention. Pippin was trying his best to describe the grace and beauty of Gildor, but Merry could see that he was not satisfied with the account he was giving.

Finally, he stopped, and said to Merry, "I wish I had been older, you know! I didn't pay any attention at all; Gandalf would be so upset with me. I can hear him now, 'Young Took, until you are old enough to say things worth remembering, be quiet and listen. Do you want to have memories not of the good and beautiful but of your own silly voice talking too much when you get older?' As usual, he was right. But what am I saying, you've seen Elves many times—you saw the Lady Galadriel and the Lady Arwen, who are among the fairest, if I know my tales correctly."  
  
Merry shook his head in agreement with Pippin. "I really tried to remember everything," he said, "but if I was called to give a description, I'd have the same difficulties you are having. It's funny, they say that you tend to exaggerate things positively in your memories, but I find that when it comes to remembering all the truly magnificent things in the world—the things that no longer dwell here—my memories, or my ability to articulate them, cannot approach the truth."  
  
"It's true," agreed Pippin, "I remember how the magnificence of those things felt, and for that I know I'm lucky, but for the life of me, I couldn't convey that to someone else. It's too bad that we were the ones to do all the seeing, and that someone else who wasn't a bit better with words was in our place. It would be a shame if the magnificence of the past Age was diminished in memory because a couple of hobbits couldn't tell the stories correctly."  
  
"A shame indeed. Thankfully Frodo and Bilbo do not seem to have our difficulties; their account of things should preserve the memory."  Merry was truly glad for this.  
  
"Yes," replied Pippin. "Now, I will enjoy the one great gift of this Age, which is peace, and go to sleep."  
  
Merry turned over, but he could not sleep. His mind was fixed on the issues that had occupied him earlier, and Pippin's final words were tossing in his head...'one great gift of this Age.'   
  
"I wonder if what we have given up and let pass from this world was too much for give for that great gift?" Merry said, aloud and softly.  "Probably not, but I miss Elves and other fanciful things. Of course, I was always the one who never understood the stories where the lesson was that the things that produce the most wonderment are right under your nose in the everyday. I know better."  
  
He sang to himself, "O Elbereth! Gilthoniel! We still remember, we who dwell in this far land beneath the trees, thy starlight on the Western seas."  He did not know why he did this.  He had never felt connected to the Elves.  _Frodo_ had been connected, and Sam had too, in his own way.  Merry, for his part, had been more of an admirer.  He felt that he and Pippin had connected better with Men.  A thought in the back of his mind told him that was important, but it could not tell him why. 

He sighed deeply and thought, _'I have never seen the Light and that is not intended for me, but even in my little existence, I have seen wondrous things that those who come after me will not see. Though I cannot do justice to them, I must always remember.'_  
  
With this, Merry looked up at the stars and silently lamented the passing of many beautiful things from the world.


	3. Eomer's Funeral

Rating: G  
Summary: This is a series of connected vignettes that shed some light on the last years of Merry and Pippin. The vignettes cover their travels to Rohan and Gondor, and their interactions with the remaining members of the Company. In "Eomer's Funeral," Pippin tries to occupy his mind during a boring speech.   
Feedback: Constructive criticism is welcome. I attempt to keep as close to book canon as possible. Ideas on how to improve in this area are particularly welcome.  
Disclaimer: The places, situations and characters of _The Lord of the Rings_ belong to the Tolkien Estate. This work contains no original characters. No money is being made from this work.

**The Further Adventures of Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took:   
****"Eomer's Funeral"**

Pippin was utterly uncomfortable, and could not sit still at the table. Thoughts were flying through his mind: _'Sometimes I wish I died or sailed off or what have you already. What dreariness it is to have to say good-bye to a friend--and to think that this age has lost another who remembers.'_ Pippin chuckled grimly to himself at that last bit—it was getting decidedly more difficult to remember things, at least for him. He wondered what Merry was thinking. Poor Merry had been upset for days, and they had to help him to his chair for the feast tonight. Pippin knew that some of his poor mood could be attributed to the fact that he had spent all of his time so far worrying about Merry. He tried to remember why he was sitting there.  
  
He did, and it brought him little comfort, for he could not escape the fact that he was at a funeral feast. King Eomer had passed on, taking the Gift that belongs to Man, and leaving his people in great sorrow. Pippin was merely grateful that he and Merry had been able to spend a fair amount of time with the King before he died. Pippin was also happy that Eomer's son Elfwine, who was a most agreeable fellow, would be the new King. Although he was hungry, being that he was a hobbit, he did not want to appear greedy for food, so he stopped eating and looked around him. A fantastic host was gathered at Meduseld, and the faces were familiar to Pippin.

_'Such a pity,'_ he thought to himself, _'that the only time I see these people is when we gather to mark yet another death.'_

He gazed upon the assembled, and his heart was moved as he realized how dear they were to him. Of course Merry was at his side, and next to them were Legolas and Gimli. King Aragorn and Queen Arwen occupied a place of high honor, and Faramir was with them. Eowyn sat alone, at the head of the table. Pippin decided that she was serene with sorrow, if such a thing were possible. Those men of Rohan who had ridden in the War of the Ring sat in places of honor on either side of her.   
  
_'And they say the Ring was destroyed!'_ thought Pippin to himself. _'It is not destroyed, for it binds many of us in this room. Though it may not hold the power of life and death over us now, it controls us in other ways. Isildur's account tells of how the Ring shrunk to his finger. In being destroyed it has expanded to ensnare every last one of us who was there.'_   
  
Pippin was proud of himself for the profound, though melancholy thought, but his reverie was disrupted by the stirrings of speech. One of the younger men of Rohan, who had been dear to Eomer in his later years, began to speak. The man spoke about the great deeds Eomer had done as King, and how Rohan had increased and prospered during his reign.   
  
Pippin was annoyed that this man had been chosen to speak, for he did not remember the War, and could not do justice to the fact that Eomer's valour had touched all the lands of Middle-Earth. Eomer could have turned simple rock to _mithril_ with the touch of his hand, and it would have still paled to his deeds in those dark days. Eowyn could have delivered the words. Why had one of the surviving Riders not spoken instead? What about Elfwine, his son? Merry, dear Merry could have spoken! Well, perhaps not, for he was pale with sorrow and age. Still, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn—someone, surely someone could speak to this man's greatest hours!   
  
Pippin had been looking down, for anger had been building inside him, and he did not want to betray it on his face. He peeked cautiously to see how others were reacting to the words of the young man. Horrible grief was etched upon all their faces, and it seemed as though none of them truly heeded the speaker. He nudged Merry, who did not respond. He sighed, quickly, but sharply, and this _did_ get Merry to give him a somewhat disapproving glare. Pippin almost laughed, but figured that would just upset Merry. Dear Merry still had no idea how _difficult_ it was to be Peregrin Took—to still have the spirit and impatience of a youth kept in the body of an old hobbit.   
  
Finally, the young man stopped, and for some time Pippin recollected nothing, until a familiar voice pierced his thought. Aragorn had risen to speak. Finally, Eomer would be done justice! Aragorn recounted those days, and his account was true—too true. Pippin could see that his words struck almost too close to those who had been there. He saw that their grief had been replaced with something more sinister. Those who had been there were being tortured with their own memories and fears. Even the elven face of Legolas was marred. Pippin realized that they all shared a great burden and responsibility: it was paramount that those who were there not remain silent. Still, those who were there could barely speak of what they had lived through, for it consumed them, and did unnatural things to them. _'Things just don't seem to be fair sometimes,' _Pippin concluded to himself.  
  
At the end of the feast, Pippin was greatly relieved to see Merry leave under his own power with the other soldiers of Rohan. Although Legolas and Gimli motioned for him to follow them, Pippin declined so that he could be alone. Indeed, he was loath to leave the Golden Hall, for he feared that once he left, he would never have another chance to return. He also wanted to think, for the funeral of Eomer, King of Rohan proved one thing to him beyond all doubt: the Ring would not be destroyed until the last who remembered was gone. Pippin shuddered at what dangers might be allowed to seep back into Middle-Earth once no one who could remember its darkest hour drew breath. He wondered what would happen when the Ring was well and truly destroyed.


End file.
